Bulls Dodging Inner Potholes En Route To Another 70 Wins

March 08, 1997|By Skip Myslenski, Tribune Staff Writer.

The Bulls' quest, just a season ago, created a certain stir. Their attempt to cross an invisible barrier and win 70 regular-season games was history unfolding. Along with it came the inevitable questions. Could they do it? Was it worth doing? Would their attempt leave them drained come playoff time?

But here they are 12 months later, and their run to repeat that feat hasn't created even a ripple.

Instead, says Michael Jordan, "It's definitely assumed. So this year there hasn't been the same kind of mental pressure of dealing with the expectations."

They have been there, done that, so this mind-set is hardly surprising. Yet this kind of thinking just as surely clouds, even diminishes the accomplishments of this year's Bulls, who ran their record to 53-7 Friday night with their victory over the Pacers.

The point here is not the mere number of victories, but what that total represents. It means the Bulls have been immune to the petty jealousies that often rend a successful team and to the outsized egos that regularly put self before team. It means the Bulls haven't fallen prey to that complacency that has infected so many champions of the past.

These are all admirable accomplishments and to explain them is no more difficult than trying to grasp the cigarette smoke that hangs above a crowded bar.

But, says Jordan, attempting to do just that, "I think a lot of it has to do with the determination of this team to prove a point.

"Dennis (Rodman), to prove we can win with a wild-and-crazy guy. Michael, to prove he's over 34 and still able to put up the stats. Scottie Pippen, he has his own reasons, as does Phil (Jackson).

"Those are four strong forces who pull all the other players in the direction of being successful. This may be the best thing that has happened in their careers, so why not continue to make this happen by continuing to do your job with dedication and do what you have to do to be on top?"

"There's no doubt the leadership contributes greatly," agrees Jackson. "We have the ability to work together as a team because they feed off the superior talent we have and the desire and competitiveness.

"All that contributes to our victories and even the nature of the way we win."